An Uber driver in Missouri is facing thousands of dollars in medical bills after a female passenger punched her in the face.
Wendy Wheaton, 60, began driving three years ago for some extra cash and has held onto her top rating as a driver in Kansas City.
But now she awaits justice after a passenger punched her in the face on April 9 and landed Wheaton with over $6,000 in hospital bills.
'Ninety-nine percent of the time the people are perfectly fine,' Wheaton told Fox 4. 'If you're just unlucky enough to get that one unstable person in your car, here you go.'
And unfortunately for Wheaton, it was her unlucky day.
'[The rider] opens my car door and starts throwing all this stuff in. Bags of stuff,' Wheaton recalled to the outlet.
'And she starts asking me, "Can you take me to a different address?" I'm like, "No, unless you change it in the app." She said, "Well I paid you already." I said, "It doesn't matter."'
Wheaton asked the rider to confirm she was the correct rider by asking for the security pin given to her in the Uber app. The rider, however, couldn't figure it out and handed Wheaton her phone.
Wendy Wheaton, 60, began driving three years ago but now awaits justice after a passenger punched her in the face on April 9 and landed Wheaton with over $6,000 in hospital bills
The pair broke into an argument which led Wheaton to ask her to leave her car, but after the driver refused they both exited the car and the rider punched Wheaton in the face
The driver was left with a gnarly green and blue bruise on her cheekbone as a result. While Wheaton called the police, she said the rider got into a vehicle with a stranger and fled
But the pair broke into an argument which led Wheaton to ask her to leave her car.
'I said, "We're done, get out of my car,"' Wheaton said, but the rider refused.
So, Wheaton turns her car off and leaves the driver seat.
'She jumps out of [her] seat. Runs over and just punches me in the face,' Wheaton recalled.
'Straight with her fist. Right into my cheek here.'
The driver was left with a gnarly green and blue bruise on her cheekbone as a result.
While Wheaton called the police, she said the rider got into a vehicle with a stranger and fled.
It took the police around an hour to arrive and they insisted she get herself evaluated medically, the outlet reported.
Wheaton's trip to the hospital would eventually cost her $6,100 from a ride that would have earned her $8
Wheaton later posted on Facebook that an Uber representative reached out and offered to pay for her medical bills and she could still pursue her criminal complaint against the rider
But Wheaton's trip to the hospital would eventually cost her $6,100 from a ride that would have earned her $8.
'The doctor ordered a CT scan because she said this is an orbital bone, and it's very easy to crack,' Wheaton explained to the outlet.
But justice may not be as easy as Wheaton hoped, as she called the Kansas City Police Department two weeks after the incident to find out the status of her case.
'The detective called me, and he said, "Yeah, Uber won't give me the information without a search warrant, and we're not going to do that,"' Wheaton said.
Sergeant Phil DiMartino told the outlet: 'Each case is worked on an individual basis. There are a multitude of factors investigators take into account when pursuing charges and in this case search warrants.
'Some of those can include severity of injuries, nature of the assault, if weapons were used, etc. Detectives will continue to gather facts and work with prosecutors to determine a course of action and applicable charges.
'If new information becomes available that leads to the identity of the suspect then investigators will pursue those measures.'
Wheaton, however, remains frustrated.
A spokesperson for the ride-share app told the outlet that the rider was removed from the platform immediately
'Seriously? It's a piece of paper,' she told the outlet. 'I don't know how hard it can be to get a search warrant.. You can't just go around punching people and get away with it.'
A spokesperson for the ride-share app told the outlet that the rider was removed from the platform immediately.
'There is no place for this type of behavior on the Uber platform. We banned the rider from the app as soon as this was reported to us and stand ready to support law enforcement with their investigation,' the statement said.
'Uber is dedicated to the safety of drivers, and we have developed numerous in-app safety features over the years, from GPS tracking and rider verification badges to in-app recording. We remain dedicated to our work to help protect our communities.'
Wheaton later posted on Facebook that an Uber representative reached out and offered to pay for her medical bills.
'Uber has now contacted me and is working with me regarding the medical bills from this incident,' she wrote. 'That said, I am still fully cooperating with law enforcement and pursuing charges against the individual involved.'
The representative's message to Wheaton clarified that their support 'does not impact your ability to pursue a criminal case or cooperate with law enforcement.'
'We fully support your right to do so. These funds intended to provide you with support for your out-of-pocket expenses. I will move forward with the deposit to your account,' the message continued.